Buddy is sick. He has some sort of stomach bug. Most people, when they are sick, tend to eat less but Buddy takes after me. When I am sick I cannot seem to eat enough. Buddy isn’t eating much, but he’s craving every kind of junk food imaginable.

Let me just start out saying that our kids eat pretty healthy. They don’t get a lot in the way of junk food unless they go to visit Grandma, then they are pumped full of cookies, ice cream, chocolate and other goodies because she is sure they are being deprived.

So, as Buddy is on a very bland diet right now and still having a difficult time keeping things down, he is making demands for future meals. He has informed us that when his stomach is better he will eat: “King Cuisine” (the frozen food meal is known to the rest of the population as Kids Cuisine), mini Pizzas and Nerds candy. Now, he has never had any of these foods (he’s had pizza, but not the specific ones he’s ordering) but he is SURE they are as tasty as the commercials claim them to be. He has wholeheartedly bought into the advertising that airs during the various shows he’s watching and yes, when he’s sick and can’t play, we let him be amused by the television. 

At one point, my husband gave Buddy some toast to eat. Buddy said he wanted sugar on it. There was no sugar on it, but to appease this highly cranky child, my husband lied and said, “There is sugar on it.” Buddy said, “I want a PILE of sugar on it.” Then he said, “I want French toast with a bowl of syrup, maple, a bowl of sugar (powdered), and a plate with bread cut up.” My husband quipped in with “I think you need to need to call Grandpa for that,” to which Buddy replied, “Get him on the phone.”

I’m hoping that this bug passes quickly, because Buddy can eat only so much “soup juice” (broth), rice and toast and is becoming crankier by the minute. He is a far more pleasant to be around when he’s healthy. But I do find it interesting that what he craves is more mental than physical. It just shows what a powerful tool advertising is.